Norman Jay
| birth_place = London, UK | occupation = DJ | website = http://www.normanjaymbe.com/ }} Norman Jay MBE (born Norman Bernard Joseph) is a British DJ. He first came to prominence playing unlicensed or "warehouse" parties in the early 1980s, such as Shake 'n' Fingerpop.Miguel Cullen, "Norman Jay Interview", Clash, 10 February 2011. His diverse and deep musical knowledge and his refusal to be restricted to playing from any single genre distinguishes him from his peers. He is commonly attributed to coining the phrase "rare groove". Since 1995 Jay has released numerous mix compilations, such as Good Times, Giant 45 and most recently Skank & Boogie, released through Rob da Bank's record label Sunday Best. Background and career Born in Notting Hill, London, to Grenadian immigrants, Jay played his first gig aged 8 at a 10th birthday party, influenced by his father’s record collection of blue beat, ska and jazz. He established himself through the London pirate radio station Kiss FM, on which he presented shows alongside founders Gordon Mac and George Power. Kiss 100 was launched legally in September 1990 and Norman hosted the first of what became his Musiquarium shows. He then went on to co-found the first ‘Paradise Garage’ style club in Britain – ‘High On Hope’, and, alongside Gilles Peterson, Norman established the Talkin’ Loud label, spearheading the Acid Jazz scene. In April 1997, after a long involvement with Kiss, Jay joined BBC London, where his Giant 45 show gained a loyal following up until February 2008. . His Good Times Sound System, which he started with his brother Joey Jay, is a major attraction to those who attend the two-day August bank holiday Notting Hill Carnival. Good Times now attracts an estimated 15,000 revellers a day during the carnival. Good Times has also extended into a series of compilation CDs. . Jay describes himself as a primarily house music DJ, but the Good Times sound includes 1970s and 1980s funk, soul and jazz-funk, previous carnival tracks have typically included Estelle's 1980; and tracks featured in recent radio shows have included Billy Griffin's "Hold Me Tighter In The Rain" and more contemporary tracks in the form of Heavy's track "Wonderlove". He was one of 20 DJs who played one track each at the 2005 BBC Worldwide Awards,6 which produced three specials for BBC Radio 1 over Christmas and New Year, hosted by Gilles Peterson. In addition to this, he was an established regular at the Big Chill festival. Jay is also a Tottenham Hotspur supporter and was awarded the MBE for services to music in 2002. On BBC Radio 2, Jay presented the Funk Factory,5 transmitted in eight weekly episodes in 2007. Finally in 2015, Norman Jay released his latest compilation Good Times Skank & Boogie. References External links * * BBC London profile * Carnival 2006 interview *Kiss100FM - First Legal Broadcast - 1 September 1990 Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:British DJs Category:British radio DJs Category:Black British radio presenters Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:English people of Nigerian descent